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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · wave · face · mine · branch · kid · shower · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. shower — rain
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — a division
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. face — to confront
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com